The share of renters around the country who made full or partial payments as of May 6 was even better than a month ago.

More than 80% of America’s apartment renters have made their May payments. And in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, about 87% of apartment residents so far have paid their rent for the month.

That’s better than some forecasters had expected in a month with record unemployment and pay cuts caused by the pandemic.

The percentage of renters around the country who made full or partial payments as of May 6 was even better than a month ago when 78% of renters had paid, according to the latest report by the National Multifamily Housing Council, which represents some of the country’s largest apartment landlords.

“Despite the fact that over 20 million people lost their jobs in April, for the second month in a row, we are seeing evidence that apartment renters who can pay rent are stepping up and doing so,” said Doug Bibby, president of the Washington, D. C.-based trade group. “We expect May to largely mirror April, when the payment rate increased throughout the month as financial assistance worked its way to people’s bank accounts.”

While most renters have kept up with their payments so far, there is still concern that large numbers of apartment residents will fall behind unless more people regain their jobs. More than 30 million Americans have been thrown onto the unemployment rolls in the last two months.

Also, the latest rent reports reflect the status of some of the largest U.S. landlords and don’t include data from all the smaller, independent apartment owners.

May’s D-FW apartment rent payment rate of 87% for the first week of the month was down slightly from April, when about 90% of residents had paid their rent, according to data from Richardson-based RealPage.

“The initial results for May are encouraging, but it’s yet to be seen whether the payments still missing can be collected at the normal pace,” RealPage market analyst Adam Couch said. “Unemployment benefits are helping those who have lost their jobs to continue to meet their rent obligations.

“Also, property managers are working hard to get collections completed,” he said. “They have been very proactive in establishing a dialogue with apartment residents, making sure that any renters who can’t pay in full for the moment are aware that payment plans are an option.”

RealPage found that the highest percentage of rent payments for May were made by residents in the newest, first-class rental units.

And renters in older, less affluent apartments had the lowest payment rates — 73.6% as of May 6.

“Workers in the hospitality and retail industries have been hit especially hard by the economy’s pullback, and many who had been employed in those sectors live in Class C apartments,” Couch said. “Furthermore, those on the lower end of the income spectrum rarely have any financial reserves that would help them cope with income interruptions.”

RealPage found that Dallas apartment leasing was up 4% year-over-year as of April 26. And leasing was up 13% annually in the Fort Worth area.

Apartment landlords have been offering concessions to lure new tenants.

Dallas-area rents were unchanged from a year ago last month, and Fort Worth average rents were down 2%

Before the pandemic, North Texas apartment rents were expected to rise about 3% this year.